Cigarette holder and ash tray



Sept. 11, 1956 G. B. D. STEPHENS CIGARETTE HOLDER AND ASH TRAY Filed Aug. 17, 1954 George B. D. S/ephens INVENTOR.

BY WW United States Patent O CIGARETTE HOLDER AND ASH TRAY George B. D. Stephens, Newport N ews, Va. Application August 17, 1954, Serial No. 450,309

3 Claims. (Cl. 131241) This invention relates generally to smokers accessories and pertains more particularly to a combined cigarette support and ash tray to be worn on the wrist, hand or the like of a user for the purpose of permitting the smoker to have available a safe place in which to locate his cigarette which will, at the same time, be convenient and easy to locate and enjoy.

A primary object, therefore, of this invention is to provide a convenient means for supporting a cigarette while a person is working and for providing a receptacle for the ashes formed by the burning of the cigarette and to provide a safe, clean receptacle for the cigarette stub when the same is put out and one from which no annoying fumes will be permitted to escape after the cigarette has been snubbed and deposited therein.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved cigarette holder and ash tray which incorporates novel means for forming the cigarette support.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved cigarette support and ash tray which incorporates a hollow body member having a top and bottom and provided with a pair of plate members, a top plate and a bottom plate, for selectively covering the top and bottom openings, the bottom plate being arcuately formed to conform to the body of the user, the device being held upon the person of the user by means of a resilient strap member provided for that purpose.

These, together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view showing the invention in use;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken substantially along the plane of section line 2-2 in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section taken substantially along the plane of section line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in horizontal section, taken substantially on the line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detail view in perspective of the resilient cigarette clip.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the reference numeral indicates generally the main body portion of the device in the form of a receptacle comprising a pair of spaced end wall members 12 and 14 which are interconnected by the side wall members 16 and 18, in the manner illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. The bottom of the body 10 is open, and the top wall 20 thereof interconnects the upper edges of the side and end wall members and is provided with an opening which is surrounded by the upstanding wall member 22 which is substantially U-shaped in plan. The upstanding wall member 22 substantially completely surrounds an elongated opening in the top wall 20 and terminates in a pair of closely spaced end portions 24 and 26 which are pro I vided with arcuate upper edge portions 28 and 30, respectively. Disposed between the end portions of the upstanding wall 22 and held in operative relationship to the ash tray thereby is the cigarette support assembly indicated generally by the reference character 32. The cigarette holder member is a generally U-shaped clip the bight portion 34 of which rests on the top wall 20. Each of the upstanding legs 35 is provided with a pair of laterally directed flanges 36 at opposite sides thereof to form a trough therebetween with the upstanding legs to receive the opposed vertical edges of the end portions 24 and 26v of the upstanding wall. The clip 32 is preferably formed' snugly engage the end portions: 24 and 26 to hold said clip properly in place. The upper clip legs 35 are provided with such that the flanges 36 ends of the upstanding extensions 38 and 40 which are disposed in downturned relation thereto and in spaced parallelism therewith and constituting opposed jaws to grip therebetween a cigarette 42. The clip 32 is preferably formed of some metal such as steel in order that the extensions 38 and 40 will have inherent resiliency 42.

The chamber 44 which is formed by the side and end walls of the body member 10 is adapted to receive ashes from a burning cigarette held in the holder or ashes may to properly engage the cigarette be merely flicked thereinto. A bottom cover plate member 46 is slidably engaged between the side walls 16 and 18, the side walls being provided with grooves 48 and 50 receiving opposite side edges of the plate for this purpose, as shown in Figure 3. Also, the end wall 12 is slotted or grooved, as at 52, to sealingly engage with the bottom plate 46 and prevent ashes from dropping from the ash tray assembly. The end walls 12 and 14 are provided with arcuate lower edges 54 and the bottom plate 46 is arcuate generally to correspond to these curved lower edges of the end walls as shown in Figures 2 and 3. One side wall 16 is provided with a U-shaped bracket member 56 to receive the looped end 58 of a resilient strap member 60 and the opposite side wall 18 is provided with a headed post member 62 which receives the buckle member 64 on the opposite end of the strap 60. In this manner, due to the arcuate configuration of the end walls 12 and 14, as Well as the bottom plate 46, the cigarette support and ash tray may be placed on a users wrist as illustrated in Figure 1. To further aid in the comfort to the user, the bottom of the plate 46 may be provided with a covering of felt 66 or other soft absorbent material.

A top cover plate member 68 is provided to selectively cover the opening formed in the top wall 20, and for this purpose the plate 68 has opposite side edges received in grooves 70 and 72 formed in the top wall and in a groove 74 also formed therein to form a seal on three sides of the plate 68. The top wall 20 is also provided with a slot 76 opening on the end Wall 14, and the plate 68 is provided immediately therebeyond with upturned and doubled over end portion 78 forming a handle such that the plate may be gripped thereby and withdrawn to the dotted line position shown in Figure 2 for the purpose of permitting ashes to be placed into the chamber 44. The handle 78 may also be engaged beneath the cigarette for supporting same at an angle in the clip 32. When the device is not in use, to prevent the ashes from spilling from the receptacle the top cover plate 68 is closed and the persons hand may be manipulated into any position without fear of spilling the contents of the receptacle therefrom.

The bottom cover plate 46 is likewise movable to the dotted line position shown in Figure 2 for the purpose of emptying the ash tray of its contents. In addition to providing comfort for the user by its absorbing qualities, the material 66 also forms an insulation between the bottom wall 46 and the body of the user such that the cigarettemay he nu edagainst the bot m Pl to put it out without the danger of..burning or otherwise harming the user. The strap 60'may be adjustable in length tofit'variouspersons orto fit variousparts-of thepersons body.

Sincenurnerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not-desired toilimit the :iflVflIlilOIl to the exact construction shown and described, ,and accordingly all suitable modifications. and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope oftzthe appended claims.

What isiclaimed as new is as follows:

1.,In .-a combined cigarette holder and ash tray, a

' rounding 'said opening and having closely spaced end portions, and .a cigarette support comprising a substantially Li -shaped, resilient clip mounted on the body between the end portions of said'upstanding wall, said clip comprising upstanding legs including: pairs of integral flanges embracing said end portions of the upstanding wall therebetween, and .a downturned extension integral with each .of said legs and disposed in spaced parallel relation therewith, said extensions being adapted to resiliently clamp a cigarette therebetween.

.2. A cigarette holder and ashtray comprising: a receptacle including a top, an upstanding wall, substantially u sha-ped in plan, rising from the top and terminating in inturned end portions, said top'having an elongated opening therein within the confines of said wall, a slidable closure for the opening, a pair of spaced, opposed, resilient jaws on said inturned end portions adapted to receive and yieldingly grip a cigarette therebetween and support one end thereof over the opening, an operating handle on the closure engageable beneath the cigarette adapted to support the same at a desired angle between said jaws, and means for securing the receptacle on a support.

3. A cigarette holder and ash tray comprising: a rece tacle including a top having an opening therein, a slidable closure for the opening, a substantially U-shaped wall rising ,from the top and bordering thenopening' and having mutually confronting end portions, and resilient jaws on the end portions of said wall adapted to grip a cigarette therebetween and support same over the opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Nov. 27, 1934' 

